smith



JQ MSMITH. FLAX FULLER.

2 Sheets-Sheep ij (No Model.)

No. 472,234 l` Patented Apr. 5,1892.

(No Modl.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. M. TH.

` I FLAX ER. No. 472,234 Patented Apr. 5, 1892.

Pay

lllll IIIIIIIIIIIII @25min/meow I 2L" i @16 Z @www reif-and the.fsee'd,"and'hasfor'rits object' theor# Vices Theyyieldingcont'a .acflgngitudinal section, enlarged, of ronejof the` `35 chine', or by slightme'dification sv of nce'clian-A tions,orgi'ooves 17, adapted "NITED STATES; PATENT OFFICE.

@im M' SMITH OF. IUNNEAPOLIS.MINNESOTA; AssicNoR oi PATRICK .TLGUNCKEL lF SAME PLAcEx.

` `r-'fLfAX- P ULLER.

i sPEcIrIeATI'oN forming pere @Leute-rs raten@ No. 4*'72,'234,"1ata Application mea raum 28,1891. .serial No. 379,375-l mofmnaem To `zal? wil/om,l zt may concern/r e 8, respectively. These roller Beit known. that L J OHNM. SMITH, a citizen provided with tapering heads 9t of the United States. residing at Minneapolis, -the iiaxfinwardto the con' t m the countyof Hennepin andState .of Min- Ithecontactsurfaces' of 'th .nesot-a, have inyented certain new and useful bly coated-with rubber orocherv ImproyementsinFlaxLPullerg of which ,thefstancelQyin order that a4 i' following-,1s a specification- -taken ofs'traws or oth'erfobje VMylnventloxifrelates=to devices'forpullingi thickness without injuriii flax from thegroundto save all-.of the berl` l`thicker or unduestrain"4 ganizationof. a mechanism that -`will serve. sippplied b y a rubber orother'sleeve slidove'r. e c1ently 'to pnl-1 the 'iax'and also to deliver"y [the body. off-the roller-'lifeVM "h s3k 1t toa tableor'carrier'with thessallss'ubstami head` 9 and secured in lp `vtiallfy parallel, to one another. o Thisohject is otherwise. Intermediatdlh :accomplished .by the'devic'es illustrated inthe are provided guards ,-1'1,l a 'accompanying drawingain which-L e ends-of the guards are. pr

lvfigure 1` isa 'plan"Vi eW ".oi:`V portions-ofthe- ':mawh-i-ne@ parte being broken away to showothjer parts more clearly. Fi g. 2 i's a vertical pulling rollers 'an'd vits supportingdevices. sitio' of-'t-he guards and" earing'sA y' "Eig, 3 isa View from the 4uilfdefr s ideof sev- -proyide are such that'the two olers whichv e'ra'l ofthe rollers and theiriconnecti'ng de' .they partially coye'rf'areseparatedliyja s hliggjlifii vices Fig. el isan elevation ofthe rear end pace 15, anda space lint .tf rlo Ween of the guards `shown in Fig. y3 and the boxes -thefedgesof theguardsnii for the rollers.. Fig.' 5 isiadetail of one of the j ure of the 'co-operatingr wliozces. Fig; G is'arear endyi'ew of aco-operat'ing roilerslrinthev sp erating pair of the rollers, showing their diguards are vin'contm'zt', on epi rectons of rotatiom-and'Fig 7fis .a vdeta'il narrow space. {Thetap goayielding bearing for thefrontend jofoneof ythe guards'should be of f the pnllingfrollersf 1 -iiect thest-alks of the ,ily The devices of theimpro'v'ex'nent aread'apt and 'to' position to be engav ed tobe used ina machine constructedupon It is desirable that' thejeio the'principle of an ordinary harvesting-ma-- :the rollers have 'spiral' co islnlftobe used in "place of fthe 'c utterbar in toward the rear'` .ends 'of `inthe ordinary harvesting-machines. 'are carried'through"byvthe'rotatiop Q In the accompanying drawings, 1 designates`- rollers, so that when stallgs are; the master-wheel of the machin'e,whch i s.pro' tween the 4L'iullers'they 'ed 1n".

4o vdeduwith internal gears fordriving the as yrellfas upward to'mal several operative parts of the machine. Coni 'endshofV the pullers foret i y nections for the seyeral operativepartsgnay first may. not iyet haye b be made with this; driving-mechanism in any The rear spindles 8 of t ,e

Well-knownmanner. j l ingsin-boxescmnposed pa l `In the drawings a ruiter-gear 3 on a shaft 19, which may be 'held to ontzien e 4,thalt is driven by means of'con'nectionswith` rearenls ofthe rollers, sf a.t p

the driving-gear, isutilized'to drive atrain of 4,g'itu1d`inalmovement of th, gears 5 for operating the pullers. The pullmittingfree rotation. ers consist ofieo-operatingpairs of rollers 6," tionslf) of ,the boxes for e e e t .5o having'at theiriopposite ends spindles 7.. and there may loefiriigerpose A bl Vl; A roo or other spring device of suitable character, serving to hold the rollers of a pair in contact, and yet capable of yielding slightly to any unusual lateral pressure to avert injury to the devices. The edges of the boxes adjacent to the spring device 20 are separated by a suitable space 2]., to permit the required lateral movement. The portions 1S of the boxes, which are between the spindles of the rollers of a co-operating pair, may be secured 1u rigid position by means of bolts 22. The boxes have at their forward ends flanges 23 at the four sides and at their rear ends flanges 24 only on the vertical sides,.as indicated in Figs. 2 and 5. These flanges at the front serve to cover the ends of the rollers, and the rear lateral flanges to hold the spring devices 2O in place. All of the boxes of the series may be supported on asingle bar25, on which they rest, and whiclrbears against their forward flanges. The guards ll have downward flanges 26, which tit upon the upper surfaces o f the boxes and bear against their forward flanges 23. 'lhus the rollers by reason of their forward bearings in the heads of the guards and their rear bearings on-the ends of the boxes, which are lfirmly secured between the bar 25 and the flanges 26, are prevented longitudinal movement. To permit slightlateral play in opposite directions of the front ends of the rollers of a pair, the bearings in the guard-heads may be provided with a loose box-section 27, backed by a block of rubber 28, or-ot-her spring device. (See Fig. 7.) In this way both ends of each rollerof a pair are capable of slight 'independent movement in direction awav from the fellow roller. lThe gears 5 permit this lateral-play by having their cogs working short of the -full depth of the interdentlil spaces.

The guards haveat their rear ends upward'.

flanges 29, which are secured bybolts 30 to an angle-ban31 or other .suitable portion of the frame otJ the machine. On'the face ofl the bar 25 is secured a guard or apron 82, which may `extend rearward for the protection of the gearing and forward for the pro-- tecton of the rollers, the latter portion being provided with Islots coincident with the 5o spaces 16.

On `the spindles'S of the rollers are secured the gear-wheels 5, which are in mesh when the which they operate, so that in the operation o f pulling and delivering-flax' it will becarnriad slightly backward towardthe platform.

instead of in verticaldireetions- 1 In the rear of the pullers, in position to receive the stalks pulledby them,l there may be provided a roller or other carrier 33. If a roller, it should have a corrugated or roughy cned surface 3l, adapted to prevent the stalks from slipping on its surface, and be rotated in the direction of the arrow z to convey the stalks toward the platform of the machine.

A reel 35, operating over and in front of the pullers, may be provided for bending the stalks backward to position to be more readily grasped by the pullers and for aiding in earrying them rearward to the platform. Over the platform may be provided an apron 3610i' other carrying device' for conducting away the flax delivered upon it. The reel andthe roller 33 may be driven by any of the usual devices for such purpose, connected to the driving mechanism of the machine.

" f In operation, the lnachine being supported on the-wheels 1 and 37 and being propelled forward, the stalks of flax lare deflected by the guards to the 'spaces bctweeuthcm, the reel serving to bend the stalks toward the pullers and the rollers being in rapid mot-ion, and those of eac'n pair being rotated in opposite directions, as indicated by the arrows .2" and z2, the co-operating rollers engage the stalks and pull them, and while moving them upward the spiral projections or depressions work them rearward. When the stalks have been passed through between the rollers, il'

not thrown rearward far enough by the rollfrom the rollers and thrown by it to the platform, they will be carried thereto by the roller 33.

Having described my invention, what I claim isf- 1. In a dax-puller, a series of oppositelyrotating rollers co.operatingin alternate pairs as pullers, and guards intermediate the pairs of pullers. g ,2.- In a flax-puller, a series of oppositely-ro tating rollers eo-operating in alternate pairs as pullers, and intermediate guards vproviding bearings for the front ends of the pullers 8. A vflax-pulling mechanism comprising a series of rollers co-operati'ng in pairs, a series of guards intervening the pairs of rollers7 and means-for rotating in opposite direction cach roller of a'pair.

4. In a"llaX- pulle1',a, series of co-operating rollers and a seri-es of independent guards vI'irovidin'g bearings for the forward ends of the rollers' and adapted 'robe separately dearate removal of each guard, together with therollers it carries and their bearings.

" .6. In a flax-puller, the combinaiilm. with IOC ` pulling-rollers, of independen@separately-de- 4 rollers and intermediate guards, and a carrying-roller in their rear, for the purpose set forth.4

8. In a dax-puller, a series of rollers co-operating in pairs, and independent guards intermediate the pairs of rollers, providing bearings for adjacent rollers of adjacent pairs.

9. A flax-pulling roller comprising a cylind rieal body, a rounded head thereon of greater diameter `than the body, and a yielding sleeve on the body havingits exterior tlush wit-h the head, substantially as set forth.

lO. The combination, with a series of rollers (3o-operating in pairs, of inclined guards intervening the pairs and serving to provide bearings, whereby the rollers may be held at a suitable inclination, for the purpose set forth.

11. A pulling-rollerooinprisingacylindrical body having an enlarged head, and a sleeve adapted to be slid on the body to the head and secured.

l2. A series of rollers co-operaling in pairs as pullers, independent guards intermediate the pairs and serving to support the rollerjournals, and a frame to which all of the guards are `connected to support the rollers in a common plane.

13. A series of pairsl of pulling-rollers, guards providing bearings for their forward ends, a frame to which all the guards are attached, and means for separately removing each. guard, together with` the two adjacent rollers of the adjacent pairs, substantially as set forth. y

14. A series of pairs of pullingrollers, guards separating the pairs and serving to support their bearings, a horizontal frame to which the guardsare attached, devices oonnected to the rollers for rotating them, and a driving mechanism therefor provided at one side of said frame.

15. Flax-pulling devices comprising a series of rollers co-operatn g in pairs, bearin gs therefor, and guards for supporting them, the saine being adapted to be connected to the frame of a harvesting-machine in the place of a cutter-bar, substantially as setlfortli.

`JOHN M. SMITH. Witnesses:

A. L. JoNEs,

I. 1I. GUNCKEL. 

